Friday, Jan. 11
Slingshot
Ellyn Bye Studio at the
Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave., 445-3700.
8 pm. $18-$20.
Nastasya Filippovna
[THEATER] Sheâs a gorgeous parasite, a kept woman and
a deranged femme fatale, but Nastasya Filippovna
Barashkov, from Fyodor Dostoyevskyâs
The Idiot, is not easy to pigeonhole. Director Viacheslav Dolgachev and
Moscow New Drama Theatre have taken on the Siberia-sized task of
improvising a wake for Nastasya, with her aimless lovers Rogozhin and
Myshkin feverishly reliving their relationships with the slain woman.
Seeing one of Russiaâs best novels dramatized by a fine
troupe from Moscow offers a rare and unusual opportunity for Portland
audiences. And for those who donât trust translations, the final show will
forgo English subtitles, Dolgachev says, âperformed as it is performed in
Moscow, as a total, unpredictable improvisation.â MITCH LILLIE.
Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., 241-1278. 7:30 pm Friday-Saturday, 2 pm Sunday,
Jan. 9-13. Sundayâs show will be performed without subtitles. $25.
Wimps, the Woolen Men
[MUSIC] Seattleâs Wimps have a song called âStop Having Fun,â but I sense itâs meant to be taken ironically, because thereâs little about the band that indicates itâs truly against having a good time. Comprising ex-members of Portland noise-folkies Meth Teeth and Emerald City postpunks the Intelligence, the group could be described as frustrated and possibly neurotic, but thereâs no way it could be mistaken for boring or joyless. The guitarsânot quite fully in tuneâsaw through crashing, off-center rhythms that alternately churn and rage over Rachel Ratnerâs agitated riotgrrrl hollering. Itâs addictive stuff, and thereâs no way you can stand still while itâs being performed. The Know, 2026 NE Alberta St., 473-8729. 8 pm. $5. 21+.
Sir Richard Bishop
[MUSIC] In 1979, Bishop and his brother, Alan, along with
friend Charles Gocher, founded the ethnically spiced, intentionally
audacious and often goofily obnoxious Sun City Girls, an
experiment equal parts post-hardcore and spoken word. Born
into the Arizona punk scene of the 1980s, they were misfits among
misfits, often getting jeered while opening for acts like Black Flag.
Still, their résumé would make plenty blush: Nirvana opened for
them, and the band played Portlandâs now-legendary Satyricon
three times. Bishopâs solo work, though, is far more refined without sacrificing
musical variety. Elektronika Demonika is a guitarless death
march through a digital, tropical hell. While My Guitar Violently
Bleeds is full of psych-folk flourishes, while Fingering the Devil,
Bishopâs acclaimed 2006 album, captures all the hypnotism and
magic of his live show. MITCH LILLIE. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., with Audios Amigos and Ben Von Wildenhaus, on Friday, Jan. 11. 9 pm. $10 advance, $12 day of show. 21+.
Saturday, Jan. 12
Chocolate Walk
[FOOD] Walking for three hours while eating chocolate might seem hypocritical, but this isnât a run-ofthe-mill power walk and Hersheyâs bar. In fact, it may not be any type of solid chocolate at all. The tour will stop at a minimum of six Pearl District and West End establishmentsâfrom bustling hubs like Powellâs and the Rogue Distillery and Public House, to homier locales like creamery Ruby Jewel and Cacaoâdrinking, sipping, munching and boozing chocolate along the way. Historical facts about chocolate and Portland will be announced by choco-tour veteran and science educator Savina Darzes, who, hopefully, will be walking backward. Various locations. 1-4:30 pm. $49. 21+ Visit chocolatetastingandmore.com for details.
Patrick deWitt, Jon Raymond, Vanessa Vaselka
Dude: seriously. This is the best free thing you can do today. These are three of Portland's finest authors all reading from their fine work at one of the finest record stores in the country. What else are you doing today? Mississippi Records, 5202 N Albina Ave., on Saturday, Jan. 12, with Jon Raymond and Vanessa Veselka. 8 pm. Free.
Geographer, On an On
[ELECTRO-CHAMBER POP] Synth-y San Franciscan trio Geographer is the kind of band that seems to constantly invite comparisons: M83, Passion Pit, STRFKR. SF Weekly named it the âBest Local Version of Radioheadâ in 2010. But it typically has enough of its own thing going on to stand out from the indie-electro crowd in its own rightânamely an electric cello and the gorgeous falsetto chops of lead singer Mike Deniâand previous releases Innocent Ghosts and Animal Shapes rightfully generated a decent serving of buzz and some high expectations for the band. Its 2012 release, Myth , is slightly more problematic. The songs seem lovingly composed, Deniâs vocals are richer and more haunting than ever, and the whole disc is more mature and less reminiscent of other groups than earlier efforts. But it is simultaneously less memorable. With the exception of a reworking of the bandâs 8-bit inspired â09 single, âKites,â there is no single track with the pop sensibilities of those on Animal Shapes , opting instead for an overall darker and less dance-floor-friendly sound. RUTH BROWN. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 231-9663. 9 pm. $10 advance, $12 day of show. 21+.
Big Ass Boombox: And And And, Little Volcano, A Happy Death, Genders, the Hoot Hoots, Tiananmen Bear, Beyond Veronica
[MUSIC] For night two of the Big Ass Boombox pop frenzy, Beyond Veronica, a powerful pop entourage, will bring things back up to speed quick, followed by Tiananmen Bear and fuzzy Seattelites the Hoot Hoots. A Happy Death is a bit darker and more existential than other groups (their name references Camusâ first book) but still energetic and very garage-y. Little Volcanoâs intoxicating vocals and patient bluesy drive will trap you in. And And Andâs basketball hoop-wielding van will be parked outside, and you know what that means: The bandâs lo-fi pop punk will be raging inside. Challenge them to a game if youâve got any energy left after all that dancing. MITCH LILLIE. Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th Ave., 248-1030. 8 pm. Free. 21+.
Chocolate Walk
[FOOD] Walking for three hours while eating chocolate might seem hypocritical, but this isnât a run-ofthe-mill power walk and Hersheyâs bar. In fact, it may not be any type of solid chocolate at all. The tour will stop at a minimum of six Pearl District and West End establishmentsâfrom bustling hubs like Powellâs and the Rogue Distillery and Public House, to homier locales like creamery Ruby Jewel and Cacaoâdrinking, sipping, munching and boozing chocolate along the way. Historical facts about chocolate and Portland will be announced by choco-tour veteran and science educator Savina Darzes, who, hopefully, will be walking backward. Various locations. 1-4:30 pm. $49. 21+ Visit chocolatetastingandmore.com for details.
Patrick deWitt, Jon Raymond, Vanessa Vaselka
Dude: seriously. This is the best free thing you can do today. These are three of Portland's finest authors all reading from their fine work at one of the finest record stores in the country. What else are you doing today? Mississippi Records, 5202 N Albina Ave., on Saturday, Jan. 12, with Jon Raymond and Vanessa Veselka. 8 pm. Free.
Geographer, On an On
[ELECTRO-CHAMBER POP] Synth-y San Franciscan trio Geographer is the kind of band that seems to constantly invite comparisons: M83, Passion Pit, STRFKR. SF Weekly named it the âBest Local Version of Radioheadâ in 2010. But it typically has enough of its own thing going on to stand out from the indie-electro crowd in its own rightânamely an electric cello and the gorgeous falsetto chops of lead singer Mike Deniâand previous releases Innocent Ghosts and Animal Shapes rightfully generated a decent serving of buzz and some high expectations for the band. Its 2012 release, Myth , is slightly more problematic. The songs seem lovingly composed, Deniâs vocals are richer and more haunting than ever, and the whole disc is more mature and less reminiscent of other groups than earlier efforts. But it is simultaneously less memorable. With the exception of a reworking of the bandâs 8-bit inspired â09 single, âKites,â there is no single track with the pop sensibilities of those on Animal Shapes , opting instead for an overall darker and less dance-floor-friendly sound. RUTH BROWN. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 231-9663. 9 pm. $10 advance, $12 day of show. 21+.
Big Ass Boombox: And And And, Little Volcano, A Happy Death, Genders, the Hoot Hoots, Tiananmen Bear, Beyond Veronica
[MUSIC] For night two of the Big Ass Boombox pop frenzy, Beyond Veronica, a powerful pop entourage, will bring things back up to speed quick, followed by Tiananmen Bear and fuzzy Seattelites the Hoot Hoots. A Happy Death is a bit darker and more existential than other groups (their name references Camusâ first book) but still energetic and very garage-y. Little Volcanoâs intoxicating vocals and patient bluesy drive will trap you in. And And Andâs basketball hoop-wielding van will be parked outside, and you know what that means: The bandâs lo-fi pop punk will be raging inside. Challenge them to a game if youâve got any energy left after all that dancing. MITCH LILLIE. Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th Ave., 248-1030. 8 pm. Free. 21+.
Sunday, Jan. 13
Down & Dirty: A Dark Comedy Showcase
[COMEDY] Some local comedians work blue; others tell jokes about Xanax addiction and almost killing themselves. Itâs all funny until a body turns up. Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash St., 226-0430. 9 pm. $5.
Chelsea Wolfe
Down & Dirty: A Dark Comedy Showcase
[COMEDY] Some local comedians work blue; others tell jokes about Xanax addiction and almost killing themselves. Itâs all funny until a body turns up. Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash St., 226-0430. 9 pm. $5.
Chelsea Wolfe
[MUSIC] Wolfeâs music could never be described as
âsunny.â Her essentially folk style has been intriguingly hyphenated
with descriptors like âgoth,â âdoomâ and even âmetalâ since she
broke out in 2011. Regardless of the weather, a personal meteorology
regulates the music Wolfe makesâinterior atmospheric conditions
under which inauspicious, chartreuse-hued skies cultivate
strange yet beautiful flora from folk roots. JONATHAN FROCHTZWAJG. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside
St., on Sunday, Jan. 13. 9 pm. $12 advance, $14 day of show. 21+.
Loudon Wainwright III, Dar Williams
[MUSIC] The title of folk icon Loudon Wainwright IIIâs 2012 album (his 22nd), Older Than My Old Man Now, refers to the fact that, at 65, the singer-songwriter has outlived his father. Wainwright uses that idea as a leaping-off point to explore the simple fact that all of our days are numbered. True to form, he takes on this theme with wry wit (âMy Medsâ is a lively piano stomper that rattles off the names of the many pills he ingests to keep himself going) and heartfelt sorrow over the recent passing of his first wife, Kate McGarrigle. ROBERT HAM. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., 234-9694. 8 pm. $30. Under 21 permitted with legal guardian.
TxE, Vinnie Dewayne, Mic Capes
[HIP HOP] Portlandâs hip-hop scene had perhaps one of its best years ever in 2012, and a lot of its success can be attributed to the output of local trio TxE and St. Johns emcee Vinnie Dewayne. TxE, comprising Tope, Epp and G_Force, released two quality group projects this year, and have become one of the most consistently refreshing bands in the cityâwhether itâs the throwback look of their âTetherballâ video, Topeâs ever-improving wordplay or G_Forceâs lush production, which has increasingly caught the ear of national artists. Dewayne released only one project this year, Castaway, but it blew everybody away with its rich storytelling and maturity. The young emcee has the potential to be one of the best all-around rappers Portland has ever seen. To catch both acts on one bill is quite a treat. REED JACKSON. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 9 pm. Free. 21+.
WWeek 2015